With just over a day before the 2021 NFL Draft, everyone wants to know what Denver Broncos GM George Paton is going to do. Paton himself seems to be pretty confident in his plan at this point, sending the scouts for a pre-draft golf outing.
While nobody knows exactly what Paton’s plans are at this point, we can make predictions and assumptions based on tea leaves and other moves the Denver Broncos have made throughout the 2021 offseason.
As of right now, rumor has it that Paton would not pass on quarterbacks Justin Fields or Mac Jones if one of them is sitting on the board with the 9th overall selection.
Wait a minute, what about Trey Lance?
There have also been rumors that the Denver Broncos could be interested in trading up for Mac Jones if the San Francisco 49ers do not take him with the third overall pick.
Buckle up, things are about to get wild.
Quarterback will not be the only position of focus for the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft, however. The team could also look for upgrades on the offensive line or off the edge as George Paton has emphasized the importance of building in the trenches. They could also look at the linebacker position and get Vic Fangio an athletic playmaker out there who can play well in coverage.
Cornerback is not completely off the table at this point, either, but after the team’s free agency moves, the Denver Broncos can afford to pass on that position early in this draft class.
Whether they stay put at nine, trade up, or move down, which players seem to be the most likely first-round selections for the Broncos right now?
Let’s narrow it down to six, in no particular order.
1. Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
The San Francisco 49ers figure to choose between one of Trey Lance or Mac Jones with the third overall pick.
It sounds like the 49ers traded up with the intention of selecting Mac Jones, but with the open mind to consider someone like Lance.
Ultimately, general manager John Lynch will have to appease Kyle Shanahan with this decision, or he will risk losing Shanahan in the near future.
Shanahan’s offense seems tailor-made for either Lance or Justin Fields, but many also believe that Mac Jones could run it as well as guys like Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, or Jimmy Garoppolo, perhaps even better.
Jones has not been considered a unanimous first-round prospect throughout this process like his peers in the 2021 draft class. Lance, however, had such a tremendous season in 2019 at North Dakota State that he’s been firmly in the top-five mix for over a year at this point.
The argument for the Denver Broncos drafting Trey Lance is a strong one. Drafting Lance would mean another year to evaluate Drew Lock, potentially, which puts the Broncos in a great position in 2022 either way.
Lance has a big arm, he’s thought to be the “smartest” quarterback in the draft by a number of reporters and analysts with team sources, and he’s a playmaker with his legs.
The overall skillset is incredibly impressive here. The 49ers should be having a hard time choosing between quarterbacks. Ultimately, if they leave Lance on the board, he’s an option for the Denver Broncos, no question about it.
2. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
If the San Francisco 49ers do not take Mac Jones, there has been some building buzz that he would be a target of the Denver Broncos.
George Paton did not attend either of Jones’ pro day throwing sessions at Alabama, which ultimately may not mean anything at all, but it’s worth noting at this point because the Broncos are rumored to possibly be interested in moving up for him.
Jones has plenty to like as a prospect. He’s a smart player who is accurate to all levels of the field, especially on deep throws. He had a lot of great playmakers at Alabama helping him out, but the Denver Broncos also have a lot of great playmakers, so who cares about that?
Jones makes throws with excellent timing, he has an understanding of what defenses are trying to throw at him, and he makes accurate throws under pressure.
There are plenty of comparisons to be drawn between Jones and 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow, though Burrow’s production in his final season at LSU was legendary while Jones’ was just outstanding.
Because Jones is a tremendous pocket passer with a good understanding of reading and even manipulating coverages at times, he should be considered for a top 10 selection. Having steady quarterback play would tremendously help the Denver Broncos’ offense, and Jones is not the slouch many make him out to be, at least not in my opinion.
3. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
Even over Zach Wilson of BYU, Justin Fields is the second-best quarterback in this draft for me, and you could argue that he has a higher ceiling than Trevor Lawrence.
Fields has size, speed, arm talent, production, he showed leadership by campaigning to play this season when the NCAA had all but shut the college football season down, he was a 2020 team captain for the Buckeyes, he only lost two games with the Buckeyes, and he put some of his best work on film in the biggest situations (see: Clemson playoff game this past season).
On one hand, it’s really hard to believe Fields is not a number one pick candidate. In many drafts, he unquestionably would be.
There are valid issues about his game including field vision and making quick decisions on secondary reads. Although many want to say that Fields is a one-read quarterback, that’s not really the issue. The issue is locking onto reads no matter where they are in the progression and sometimes taking too long to make a decision.
He’s been playing the quarterback position basically his whole life, so while you’re banking on upside with Fields you’re also getting a guy who has been doing this for a long time.
Mike Klis recently said he didn’t think the Denver Broncos would pass on Fields if he were on the board at 9. It would be even better practice for George Paton to trade up for a guy like this.
It’s always possible that the Denver Broncos know things about Fields we all do not. Whatever it is that is keeping the top three teams in the draft from taking him, nobody really knows about it. We’ll see what happens.
4. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
One of the Denver Broncos’ biggest needs in recent years has been at the linebacker position. The team seemed to have struck gold with former UDFA Alexander Johnson, who is signed on a one-year restricted free agent tender in 2021.
Beyond this year, who knows who will be playing linebacker for the Denver Broncos?
Because of the importance of that position in Vic Fangio’s defense, you wonder when Denver will actually end up pulling the trigger there.
One player that the Denver Broncos might avoid based on what we know is Penn State’s Micah Parsons. Parsons has been involved in enough off-field stuff that you can find easily on Google that I have thought for the majority of this process that he would not be on George Paton’s board.
While there is a chance that is true, that is not what I’ve been hearing at all.
In fact, I think Parsons is still a candidate if the Denver Broncos stay with the 9th overall pick, though they would probably prefer the idea of moving down and still getting him.
Parsons is a converted defensive end who has been playing off-ball linebacker, but what about this guy as either a starting off-ball linebacker or future Von Miller replacement.
He’s such a freak of an athlete with big-time size and speed, and he might be the most naturally gifted pass rusher in the draft.
5. Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Despite paying Ja’Wuan James a massive free agent contract in 2019, the Denver Broncos still have a question mark at right tackle.
James missed most of the 2019 season due to injury and he opted out of 2020. With a 17-game slate on deck for 2021, can the team count on James to do what George Paton said is expected, which is to be the starting right tackle and play well?
I’m not sure.
We’ll see what the Denver Broncos think here.
Paton talked about the depth of this offensive line class and there will be chances to get potential starters at right tackle well beyond the first round, but Rashawn Slater is a special talent who could also be a guard in the event something doesn’t work out with Graham Glasgow, too.
You never know.
Slater has played both right and left tackle at Northwestern, and he showed why he is worthy of a top-10 selection against Ohio State in 2019.
He opted out of the 2020 season but Slater undoubtedly is a first-round talent and plug-and-play NFL starter.
6. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
One of my favorite prospects in this entire draft, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would be a new breed of linebacker for Vic Fangio to work with.
He’s drawn some comparisons to Darius Leonard (Colts) and Roquan Smith (Bears) although Owusu-Koramoah is built more like a safety than an off-ball linebacker.
Considering how reliant Vic Fangio’s two-high defense is on stopping the run, would he put someone who plays at 215 pounds or less in the middle of it all?
Maybe.
Owusu-Koramoah is as physical and instinctive as they come, and while he might not be winning many wrestling matches with 300-plus pound offensive linemen, he is quicker than all of them and does great work cutting underneath blocks and knifing into the backfield for tackles for loss and sacks.
Where this guy is really a tremendous matchup advantage for the defense is in coverage.
He can man up and match up with tight ends and running backs, or even play a slot corner role.
Denver Broncos: Complete 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft
The Denver Broncos are just days away from adding to their already talented roster. Which players will they look to add in the 2021 NFL Draft.
There’s plenty of projection with Owusu-Koramoah and Denver, but George Paton was on hand at the Notre Dame pro day to get a chance to see this guy move around in person. We’ll see if he thinks he can be part of the Denver Broncos going forward.